Anders Nielsen
Avdelingsleder/forskningssjef
(+47) 913 50 435
anders.nielsen@nibio.no
Sted
Ås - Bygg O43
Besøksadresse
Oluf Thesens vei 43, 1433 Ås (Varelevering: Elizabeth Stephansens vei 21)
Forfattere
Linn Vassvik Anders Nielsen Michael P. D. Garratt Bjørn Arild Hatteland Joseph Chipperfield Erik Trond AschehougSammendrag
Apples are dependent upon pollinators for the transfer of pollen between cultivars to ensure high quality fruit production. Agricultural intensification has reduced the availability of stable floral resources for wild bees, leading to widespread declines of important pollinators of apples. Managed honeybees are commonly used to supplement pollination services in apple orchards, but honeybees are less efficient pollinators compared to wild bees. We investigated whether increased flower abundance in the understory vegetation of apple orchards can increase pollinator activity to apple flowers. We compared bee visitation in five orchards in Eastern Norway: three unmowed orchards, and two mowed orchards. In unmowed orchards, dandelions ( Taraxacum spp.) dominated the understory vegetation. Bee observations were conducted on the understory vegetation and apple trees, via manual observations and time-lapse cameras. Wild bees preferentially visited apple flowers over dandelions, while honeybees did not differ in their visits to apple flowers and dandelion flowers. We also found that the abundance of dandelion flowers in the understory increased visits by wild bees to apple flowers. Taken together, this suggests that within orchard floral resources do not compete for pollinators but instead increase apple visitation and improve pollination success. Our results highlight the importance of managing apple orchards for wild bee populations and the potential short-term benefits of understory floral resources on apple production. Implications for insect conservation Our results show that understory vegetation should be left unmowed to increase pollination of apple flowers and provide pollinators with alternate floral resources before, during, and after apple flowering.
Forfattere
Linn Vassvik Anders Nielsen Michael Garratt Bjørn Arild Hatteland Joseph Chipperfield Erik Trond AschehougSammendrag
In 1968 Free published a paper titled "Dandelion as a competitor to fruit trees for bee visits", and since then mwoing the understory vegetation has been common practice in apple orchards. However, Free's study only included honeybees, and recent research shows that apple flowers need a diverse pollinator community for optimal quality and yield. Wild bees need a diverse floral diet to survive, raising the following questions: Do wild bees also prefer dandelions over apple flowers? And will dandelions compete with apple flowers when all pollinators are considered?
Sammendrag
Heftet du har for hand er ei oppfølging av Pollinatorstrategien, og her tek vi for oss pollinatorane i Norge, med eit spesielt fokus på biene. Her kan du mellom anna lese om korleis dei lever, kvifor dei er truga, kvar dei bygger reir og korleis du kan hjelpe dei. Vi har også laga ein forenkla identifiseringsnøkkel, med mål om å hjelpe å skilje biene frå andre pollinatorar, og å skilje dei ulike biegruppene etter kvar dei bygger reir.
Divisjon for miljø og naturressurser
CANALLS Agroecological practices for sustainable transition
Agroecology covers all activities and actors involved in food systems. It also places the well-being of people (producers and consumers of crops and products) at its core. The EU-funded CANALLS project will focus on the agroecological zones and diverse farming systems in the humid tropics of Central and Eastern Africa. It will explore the complex environmental, social and economic challenges, which in some cases are exacerbated by conflict and high vulnerability. Moreover, it will advance agroecological transitions in these regions through multi-actor transdisciplinary agroecology Living Labs at eight sites in four countries. The focus will be on crops such as cocoa, coffee and cassava, which are vital for subsistence and economic development.
Divisjon for matproduksjon og samfunn
WINGS - Pollinatorvennlige kulturlandskap: Løsninger for forvaltning av leveområder under press
Pollinatorene er truet. Dette får konsekvenser både for det biologiske mangfoldet og matsikkerheten vår. I WINGS skal vi utvikle løsninger for å etablere mer pollinatorvennlige kulturlandskap.